The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-11-21

Secretary Lamar is said TO have aSsur
ances upon which he relies that, should his
name be sent to the Senate to fill the vacant
place on the Supreme Court bench, the
nomination would be promptly confirmed,
without reference TO a committee. The
New York Tribune prints this bit of news,
and meets it with an ably written but very
unfair editorial in opposition to Mr.. Lsmar's
confirmation. 1t reviews his career at
tempting TO show that he sympathized with
the views of extreme States rights advo-
Gates, was active in organizing secession,
and in the Confederate service, and still be-
lieves the Southern States acted within their
constitutional rights. A special grievance
is that Mr.. Lamar, on the floor of the Sen
ate, once emphatically denied that jefferson
Davis was astraitor
The position the Tribune takes appa-
rently, is that no man who believes in the
States right of secession in 1861 can be
trusted to administer the law in 1887. II
refuses 10 believe that the settlement of a
great disputed question reached on the
battlefield can be accepted with entire hon
esty by the defeated party as final and ir-
revocable, unless those who lost join with
the victors in denunciation of the princi-
pies for which they fought and the men
who led them. Any man with extensive
knowledge of Southern sentiment knows
that vast majority of the people are now
sincerely grateful that the Union was pre-
served They accept that result of the war,
not sullenly but gladly. Their interests are
now all in the Union, not outside of it.
1t is very true that most Southern men,
with whom, perhaps, Secretary Lamar Is
included, believe that the war established
as law for all time an Interpretation Of the
constitution upon which the trainers of that
instrument would not themselves have
agreed, but they recognize the fact that the
Interpretation established by force of arms
was one contended for almost from the be-
ginning. They still believe that in 1861 it
was at least an open question.
There is no good reason why a man hold
ing these views, competent in other re-
spects, should not be made member of the
Supreme Court. The Southern States are
supposed to stand on an equal footing with
other members of the Union, but the suppo-
sition is false if man who fairly represents
their people is prescribed because of his opin-
ions on a question settled twenty-five years
ago The objection urged against Mr.. Lamar
would apply with almost equal force to
any Southern man of proper age and attain
ments to be a fit nominee for Supreme
Court Justice, and if it be effective with the
Senate, the result will be the exclusion from
one of the coordinate branches of the gov
eminent for an indefinite period of almost
one-third of the country. We do not be-
iieve the people at large want any such
prescription.
The T1ibane'S article bristles with such
words as traitor, treason, rebel, rebellion,
etc, which in this connection have long
since lost their meaning The application
of such epithets to several millions of its
fellow citizens may indicate that it is very
LOYAL to the government which no one
questions, but it leaves room for doubt
whether its patriotism is not limited by
geographical lines.